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Thursday, August 26, 2010

Yesssss!!!!!!!

So Wednesday I was scheduled for a 6 mile tempo run. 1 easy mile warm-up, 4 miles @ 9:18, and 1 easy mile cool down. The tempo run has been my nemesis since I started this training plan in July. I have never been able to maintain the goal pace for the tempo interval. I set my alarm Tuesday night, hoping that maybe this would be the run that changed that.

Set my alarm, yes, but forgot to turn the volume back up so I could hear it. Instead of hopping out of bed at 4:30 a.m., I didn't manage to get myself moving until about 4:50; however, I was still able to eat breakfast, leash up the dog, and be on my way by 5:05. Granted, it helped that I slept in my running clothes and braids!

I have a regular route that I run in the mornings. It's almost a straight shot...1 mile away from the house, 1 mile back. That way, if I end up pressed for time, I can cut the run short and get ready for work. Also, my run starts as I get to the end of my driveway rather than having to go somewhere first.

Here are the splits:

Mile 1 (warmup) 9:31.3 Oops. Over a minute too fast. I don't do well when I start out too fast. Still, I wasn't pushing. I felt like I was taking it fairly easy.Mile 2 8:46.6 Whoo hoo...30 seconds faster than the goal...but there are still 3 more miles to go...Mile 3 8:57.5 Slowing down, but still meeting my goal. Plus, this was the "away" leg of the route, which always goes a little slower for me.Mile 4 9:01.2 I was starting to hurt, had to go to the bathroom, and wondering if I should give the dog a break. "Maybe I should take him in, go to the bathroom, and then finish the last two miles..." (and if I'd gone in, I was probably finished). When I got to the house, though, and saw the time for the mile, I knew I was going for it.Mile 5 9:05.8 Yesssss! You'd have thought I won the Olympics when I finished that mile. I was sooo happy and proud. Mile 6 10:18.2 I walked for a little bit while I drank some water, then I got running again. Man, I was tired. I almost tripped a couple of times because I wasn't lifting my feet enought as I ran. I sure came in the house with a smile on my face, though. :)Total miles: 6Total time: 55:47Overall pace: 9:17Pace for tempo portion: 8:57

My 10K time was 1:00:33, so if I'd run another .2 miles, I'd have a new 10K PR by a couple of minutes, too. :)

All that, and I managed to get my kids and myself to school on time. :)